Is there a recipe where bananas are optional? Seriously, bananas are the Devil’s Fruit and should be shunned! If I had a time machine I could use only once, I would do is go back in time to prehistoric age and exterminate the very first banana. I hate, I LOATH them that much.

Put enough half and half to make as much ice cream as you want.
Add 1/2-1 cup of sugar.
Add flavoring (I used vanilla extract.)
Take the air out of the bag, put it in a small coffee container with about 2″ of ice at the bottom.
Put in the sealed bag of ingredients.
Add more ice to fill the container.
Add about a cup of salt (table salt worked for me, YMMV.)
Put the cover on the container and shake a lot for about 10 minutes straight. (Like a Shake Weight.)
Eat and enjoy.

I have tried this, and was very happy with the result (on the second try). It worked great in a blender, and in a large food processor. I tried to make a smaller batch in a small food processor, but the bananas stuck to the sides, and the blade just spun freely. Interestingly, it doesn’t taste too much like bananas. The flavor is subtle, with more of a banana aftertaste. I haven’t tried mixing it with anything else, but I’m guessing another fruit would determine the flavor. For now, I always keep a couple frozen bananas in the freezer.

FYI- Peel the bananas BEFORE you freeze them. I thought I could freeze the whole thing once, and ended up having to toss the whole thing.

I also suggest cutting the bananas into slices before you freeze them as they’ll be easier to mush up in the blender/food processor. Another suggestion? Chocolate syrup. If you get the calcium enriched chocolate syrup, you can argue that it’s still healthy. :-D

It doesn’t have the texture of ice cream. Some of us can taste and appreciate the milkfat content of foods. I don’t doubt that it’s a tasty treat, but the only thing with the texture of ice cream is actual ice cream.

Come again? Most commercial ice cream has about 200 calories per half cup (Ben and Jerrys around 300); banana whip has about 100 calories per half cup, plus a good heaping of potassium, magnesium, vitamins B & C, and fiber.

My favorite is to add in a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolate-banana flavored creation

Even if this were true, why does it matter? I hate when people throw the word “Calorie” and “calorie” around, not knowing the purpose. It’s better to get Calories from carbs than from saturated fat (from cream). Banana is one of the sweeter fruits, so that’s where most of the carbs come from. It also has fiber, protein, vitamin C, and potassium. There’s almost a little good and bad in everything, even water. If you’re gonna eat a sweet dessert, at least have an ounce of nutrition with it.

Maybe toss in some peanut butter for the last couple seconds of blending, to get a “banana-peanut-butter-swirl” effect. Or some still-cold Hot Fudge topping, for a fudge swirl, if you prefer. Mixing in the chocolate chips sounds tasty.

Slice the bananas onto a paper plate and place in the freezer for 3 or 4 hours. Toss frozen banana slices into the blender. Add liquid and ice. Blend. Great with pineapple or orange juice and rum. Just about any fruit works well with the banana especially if the other fruit is tart. The banana adds a bit of sweetness.

As someone mentioned in another thread, bananas are to be opened not by pulling the stem, but by pinching the bottom end. The peel splits easily and naturally this way. It’s how monkeys peel bananas. Of course Dole, Del Monte and others that makeup Big Banana put their stickers on upside down so as to make consumers think the stem is the top. It’s a pity bananas aren’t more closely regulated, but Congress has long been in the pocket of Big Banana. Please remember all of this when you make your banana ice cream.

Bashful Banana on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk does “Banana Whips” They have a machine that they press whole frozen bananas through and it comes out like soft serve. You can top it with granola, other fresh fruit, chocolate chips etc…It is one of my all-time favorite treats!